In which there has been snoozing and partying

First and most importantly, I have not yet had the baby.  We've got three weeks to go (ish), and I swing wildly from thinking he or she is going to arrive any minute because I'm so huge to being convinced that I'll be weeks and weeks overdue and even more huge.

I didn't mean to go so long between posts but most of the last week or so has been spent sorting out and rearranging the baby's room which has involved a fair amount of things piling up in my study which somewhat impedes access to the computer and the camera cable.  We're getting there now though, and assuming that I don't have the baby in the next few days I might even have some pictures to show for it.

However, rather than seeing just how messy I can make my house in the name of tidying up (and I promise I could make it an extreme sport!), I have a tale of a very wonderful afternoon spent in the company of the nicest of people in which the little bear and I were spoiled rotten by family and friends who came round for cake, a cream tea, oh and my baby shower. I still can't quite believe I'm grown up enough and pregnant enough to have just had a baby shower; it makes it all seem very real!

Both grandmothers-to-be made the trip from their respective ends of the country and everyone else came from a little more close at hand, and in an uncharacteristic lapse I even handed off my camera so that we have this rare evidence of Carie in front of the camera and proof of the very great spoiling of my baby by all who have yet to meet him or her. 

Mary brought me flowers:



Unwrapping a beautifully knit blanket from Mandy

And a cuter than cute baby jacket from Mary.

Bibs (and a whole heap of other useful things like baby wipes, lotion and cotton wool balls) from the most recent Mummy in the group,

and a very special book from my sister, fondly remembered by all of us.

My lovely colleague L, who has an alternative career ready and waiting as a party planner, helped to organise the whole thing (including bringing the fizz for those not driving or hatching small children) and made a wonderful quiz from celebrity baby pictures; my MIL and I managed a respectable 7/10 (after some hints) although we did initially think that a young Jennifer Aniston was Prince Charles!
 
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did; we certainly made some inroads into the cake, and the cream tea was greatly enhanced by genuine clotted cream, carted all the way from Devon by my Mum in a cool bag (yum).  I decided that at 8 months pregnant I could follow the Calendar Girls rule of catering (if it's a really special occasion buy it at Marks and Spencer) but I did do a little cooking:



Well you can't have a butterfly themed baby shower without butterfly cakes can you? And L brought a sweet butterfly shaped sponge (the 'after' to Colin the Caterpillar perhaps).

I didn't have the chance to take more pictures of the oh so pretty knitting yesterday but this morning's sunshine provided ample opportunity:


This is the little jacket that Mary made - it's so sweet and I love how the buttons have been sewn on in different colours to match.

Mandy's present also included this little jacket - the bear and I are going to sport matching jacket and socks, although my socks don't have such awesome orange buttons.

Y made me a candle - definitely not for the baby but stunningly pretty,

And Mandy's magnum opus - the Apple Tree blanket:

I love this pattern, the yarn is soft and wonderful and the colour is warm and soft and perfect for a snuggly little baby! As you can see, the bear's hedgehog is already getting in on the action:

And last but not least, while we're on the subject of beautiful knitting that I didn't do, I caught up with a good friend at Kenilworth Knit and Knatter on Thursday and was utterly surprised and delighted to be given a little something for the bear when he or she has grown a bit more - this gorgeous hoodie:

D is a very very skilled knitter and this hoodie is just perfect and a gorgeous sunshiney colour to boot,

I love the little 'label' on the back of the neck!

I've been doing a wee bit of knitting in between naps and tidying but that can wait for another day - today I've got pretty toys to play with, and another reading of If I were a sheep: